Cost of Living Calculator
See price comparisons between U.S. cities with the Extra Space Storage Cost of Living Calculator! By factoring in your current salary and common expenses like groceries, housing, utilities, and more, this tool can help determine what salary you'll need to maintain your lifestyle in a new city—or what changes to your budget might be necessary.
COMPARE CITIES
See how those cities compare to the national average below.
What's Included in Cost of Living?
Cost of living comparisons include necessities like housing, utilities, groceries, and healthcare, as well as common expenses like entertainment and other goods and services. By looking at a cost of living comparison between cities, you can get an idea of how your budget may change from one place to another.
🏠Housing
Housing is usually the biggest expense in a budget and a key factor in calculating a city's cost of living. An accurate cost of living estimator will consider average monthly rent and home purchase prices.
đź’ˇ Utilities
Utility costs typically include electricity, water, gas, internet, and trash services. These prices vary by location, climate, and household size, making them an important factor in calculating your cost of living in a new city.
⚕️Healthcare
Healthcare costs are an important cost of living factor and vary widely based on location and individual needs. Typical expenses include insurance premiums, prescriptions, and doctor or dentist visits.
đź’µ Income
By looking at median household income in different cities, you can see how salaries compare and estimate whether your earnings will be enough in your new city or if they fall short of what's needed to maintain your lifestyle.
đźš—Transportation
Transportation costs will vary from city to city and change the overall cost of living. Our calculator considers gas prices, maintenance, parking, public transportation costs, and more.
🍎Food
Food is a major part of monthly living expenses. Grocery costs vary by location and household size, covering items like produce, meat, dairy, and pantry staples.
🛍️Goods & Services
Goods and services cover everyday lifestyle expenses, from essential needs to discretionary spending. Expenses like clothing, personal care items, seeing a movie, going to a baseball game, and more are included in this category.
What Affects Cost of Living?
Cost of living is affected by a combination of external factors that are out of your realm of control. These factors add up differently depending on where you live, how many people share your home, and how you like to spend your time. Understanding what's behind the number helps you make smarter comparisons.
Your income is the starting point for any cost of living conversation. A salary that stretches comfortably in one city may feel tight in another. When comparing locations, look at both what you'd earn and what your dollars would actually buy. The gap between those two figures is where cost of living really lives.
Beyond income, several secondary factors shape your day-to-day costs and can shift the bottom line.
Inflation
With inflation being around 3-4% rise every year, this means cost of living would follow suit. A cost of living estimate that doesn't account for inflation can quickly become outdated, so it's worth looking at current figures rather than ones from even a year or two ago.
Family size
A household of one and a family of four face very different budgets, even in the same city. More people means more groceries, larger housing, additional healthcare coverage, childcare, and school-related costs. When using a cost of living calculator, factor in your actual household size, not just your own expenses, to get a realistic picture of what life would really cost.
Energy Costs
Electricity and gas prices vary widely from state to state and region to region. A hot Southern climate may drive up cooling bills in the summer, while a cold Northern winter does the same for heating. If you work from home or have an electric vehicle, energy costs carry even more weight in your monthly budget. Energy costs can add or subtract hundreds of dollars per year and is an important factor when looking.
Metro, Urban, and Rural Areas
Where you live within a region matters almost as much as which region you choose. Major metro areas typically come with higher rents, pricier restaurants, and steeper parking or transit costs. On the flip side, they also have more job opportunities and services. Suburban and rural areas often offer lower housing costs, but you may spend more on a car, fuel, and travel time. There's no single right answer; it depends on what tradeoffs fit your life.
Lifestyle
Two people earning the same income in the same city can have wildly different monthly costs based on how they live. Dining out regularly, gym memberships, travel, hobbies, and subscription services all add up. A cost of living comparison gives you a useful baseline, but your personal lifestyle is the multiplier. Thinking honestly about your spending habits helps turn a general estimate into a number that actually reflects your life.
Learn More About City Life
If you are considering moving to a new city to be closer to family, for work, to retire, or simply for a change of pace, Extra Space Storage’s city guides can help. You can learn more about local schools, businesses, housing costs, walkability, and things to do in the cities you are comparing.
Average Cost of Living in the U.S.
The average cost of living in the United States for 2026 is estimated at approximately $6,545 per month for a typical household, totaling roughly $78,535 annually. On average, housing is the largest expense, typically ranging from $1,800 to $2,800 per month, followed by transportation ($600–$1,000), groceries ($500–$1,200), and utilities around $150–$350 monthly.
Methodology
Our cost of living calculator is powered by data from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), a trusted nonprofit organization that collects and compares prices across hundreds of U.S. cities. The C2ER Cost of Living Index measures everyday expenses like housing, groceries, transportation, utilities, healthcare, and other common goods and services, so you can see how costs stack up in different places.
Each city’s score is benchmarked against a national average of 100, which makes comparisons easy. For example, a score of 110 would indicate costs about 10% higher than the national average.
We update our calculator twice a year to reflect the latest C2ER data. While these numbers represent citywide averages, it’s important to keep in mind that your actual expenses may vary depending on your lifestyle and the neighborhood you choose.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Explore City Costs Near You
Planning a move to a new city? Our cost of living guides break down typical expenses like housing, transportation, groceries, utilities, healthcare, and more. Use these insights to compare your current city to your next home and see how your monthly budget may change.
